บท 463: Reckless Abandon

Why am I remembering that now…? That was long ago–that's not who I am anymore, Andraste thought. 

"It doesn't matter." 

–He spoke to himself as his heart thumped inside of his chest with a resonance that forced him to stand. As he wiped the sparse blood from his lips, his fringes hung low, looking up to watch as the adolescent approached. 

Nothing changes the fact that right here, right now…I have to win. I am one of the Victorious Seven; losing is unacceptable, Andraste thought. 

"From this moment onward, I'm going to treat you as a proper opponent, Ren Nakamura," Andraste said to himself. 

He watched as the knight held a look of reinforced resolve; one that was absent in his previous frivolity. Seeing such seriousness overtake the member of the Victorious Seven, he immediately held his guard high in preparation for what came next.